She is the Light
by ToDieYoung
Summary: The Boy Who Lived has grown up with a sister. My take on how the story we know and love would change had Harry had someone to look out for. Warnings inside.
1. Chapter One

**A/N: I've spent a long time reading fics that involve Harry having a sibling of some sort, but none that really stood out to me. This fic does not follow the exact same plot line as the books, as I'm sure you have already read the books, and you've come here to read fanficiton, not to reread the Harry Potter series + bonus character. **

**Please tell me if Lucy ever starts to become Mary Sue like, as I tend to lean that way whenever I'm writing in my own characters. Also, quick note, I've always thought that Harry, put in a situation where he has family that loves and cares for him, would be extremely protective of them, no matter if the character was male or female. I do not believe the fact that Harry tries to take care of his sister is antifeminist, or is implying that she can't take care of herself. It's just the way that I think he would be, seeing how protective he is of his friends in the books. He tries as hard as he can to keep them out of danger, and that's just his friends. Imagine his one blood relative? **

**WARNINGS: Severe child abuse in this chapter. If you're sensitive to that, don't read, or skip this chapter. There will be mentions of it in later chapters, but nothing graphic. **

**Enjoy! **

Lucille Potter woke from a glorious dream. One that involved a cat morphing into a woman, and a giant man riding a flying motorcycle. It was rare for her to have dreams in the first place, but this one was spectacular. She wished to remember it forever, but as such with dreams, within a few minutes of waking Lucille could only remember the basic details; cat… giant… motorcycle…

Waking early was Lucille's favourite occurrence, as she got a few extra minutes to lie in bed, completely rested, and just relax before she was thrown headfirst into the day. She snuggled closer into her sleeping brother's arm, not that she could all that easily. The twin bed that was crammed into the cupboard under the stairs seemed to grow smaller each day. Lucille didn't mind much though, Harry was her best and only friend, and she found it comforting to know that he was there beside her, that he wouldn't just vanish in the middle of the night and leave her here to deal with the Dursleys alone.

At that moment, Petunia Dursley pounded one the door, screaming at the twins to get out of bed and to cook breakfast. Harry's eyes snapped open and Lucille felt his arm tighten around her. He relaxed when he realized that they were not in any danger.

"Morning Harry", Lucille yawned, "How'd you sleep?"

"Okay, I guess…" murmured Harry, feeling around the bedside table for his glasses. "What about you?"

Lucille explained what she could remember about the dream to Harry, who seemed to remember having a similar dream before.

"That's odd, might just be because we're twins though. I remember Dudley watching a show about how twins' brains can be subliminally connected or something." Harry reasoned.

"I don't know if I believe in all that wishy-washy stuff," Lucille sighed, "I think it must have just been a coincidence. Maybe we both saw a motorcycle, or a big man, or a woman who resembled a cat and our imaginations went wild…"

"Oh come on Lucy," Harry nudged her, "you've got to believe in a little bit of magic."

The twins crawled out of the tiny cupboard and took turns in the bathroom getting dressed. Their aunt and uncle never thought it was necessary to buy them their own clothing, so both wore hand-me-downs. Harry got them straight from Dudley, who was much bigger than him, and thus Harry always looked as though he were swimming in his outfits. Lucille, who was even smaller than her brother, got his clothes when he was done with them, but they looked even baggier on her than they had done on Harry.

Today was Dudley's birthday, a day that the twins dreaded annually. The twins were forced to make breakfast for the family while Dudley complained about how many presents he had received. They made doubly sure that they didn't burn anything, and they served three heaping plates of scrambled eggs to the Dursleys. They waited patiently until Aunt Petunia announced that the food was, "passable", and that they were allowed the leftovers. Harry pulled out two plates and scraped the remaining scrambled eggs, bacon, and sausage on to them. He handed Lucille the plate with more food. While he was small for his age, she was even smaller, and he knew that girls were supposed to be bigger than boys until they hit puberty. He worried about her.

The Dursleys went to the living room to let Dudley open his gifts, and so the twins were left alone to eat in the kitchen. Harry eagerly devoured his plate of food, and it ended all too fast. He looked over to Lucille, who had barely taken three bites. Harry knew what was wrong, he had seen Uncle Vernon lose his temper with her last night, heard her vomiting from when he had hit her in the gut. He could see the black and blue bruises that framed her brown eyes that were red from crying herself to sleep the night before. Harry had been the one to clean her up, to wipe the puke off of her chin, to brush her hair, to dry her eyes. It had been Harry who had rocked her to sleep, who had stayed up whispering to her in the dark that she was okay. It was Harry who had made her feel safe enough to finally fall asleep, Harry who stayed up an extra hour to make sure she stayed that way.

And today, it would be Harry who took care of her again.

"Please eat, Lucy…" Harry moved his chair over so he could rub circles on her back.

"My stomach hurts, Harry, I don't want to be sick again."

"Take it slowly then, eat as much as you can, please. You need your strength."

Lucille continued to eat while Harry started on the dishes. She had just started on her sausage when the phone rang. She heard Aunt Petunia talking, sounding sympathetic, and then arguing with her husband about something, and then Dudley whining. The twins heard footsteps approaching, and Aunt Petunia leaned her head into the kitchen door.

"Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. You're going to have to come with us to the zoo. Get ready, we're leaving in ten minutes." Aunt Petunia mumbled at them.

There wasn't much room in the car. Harry ended up in the middle seat, wedged between Dudley and his friend, Piers, while Lucille had to sit on Harry's lap. The twins managed to wrap the middle lap seatbelt around both of them, but when Piers and Dudley started using their shoulders to shove them back and forth, Harry wrapped his arms around Lucille to make sure she wouldn't fly through the windshield.

The twins had a nice time at the zoo. Dudley and Piers went off to their own devices, and left them alone for the most part. Aunt Petunia had done her best to cover Lucille's bruises with makeup, so people wouldn't ask questions, but she still kept the hood of her sweatshirt up to hide it. She wore this sweatshirt every time Uncle Vernon did this to her. It was long sleeved, and went right down past her hands so nobody would see the bruises and welts all up and down her skinny arms. The hood did well to hide her face when she didn't want anyone to see it. It was big and soft, and although it used to be Dudley's, Harry had worn it enough before she'd gotten it that the smell of it was her brother, not her cousin, and it made her feel safer, more secure.

The day took a turn for the worse when they went to the reptile house. Dudley and Piers were instantly attracted to the Burmese Python, which was lying in its enclosure, fast asleep. Unable to wake it, the boys eventually lost interest. Lucille and Harry stayed by the enclosure, leaning on the railing. Suddenly, the snake seemed to rise, and look at them. That's when Lucille realized that Harry was hissing quietly at the snake, and it seemed to be responding.

"Harry… " Lucille started, but Dudley came bounding toward them, pushing both twins out of the way.

"Mummy!" Dudley shouted, "Come here! You won't believe what this snake is doing!"

Lucille looked over at her brother, who was concentrating hard on their cousin. She heard a splash as the glass of the enclosure seemed to vanish, and Dudley fell right in to the water. Dudley was screaming, and Aunt Petunia came running, but when she reached her son, the glass had reappeared, and she was unable to get to him. Lucille noticed the python slither by her, and hiss at Harry, to which he hissed back. She could have sworn she saw it wink too, but it had to be her imagination.

They dropped Piers off at his house, but Lucille did not want to get off of her brother's lap. She was horrified at what would happen back home. She knew she would be beaten, which usually served punishment for both of them. The Dursleys knew that Harry saw himself as older. Although they didn't know exactly who was born first, Harry had always taken care of her because she was smaller. The Dursleys always gave her less to eat, and she wasn't allowed to drink milk, even at school, where they told the teachers she had an allergy. They did their best to ensure that she was as fragile as possible and to ensure that Harry's big brother instinct wouldn't go anywhere. When the twins needed punishing, they would lock Harry in the cupboard and force him to listen to his sister's screams as she was beaten by their uncle, sometimes with the help of their cousin. Harry was then the one to look after her until she got better.

That night was the worst. Her screams echoed around the small, dark cupboard, and Harry knew that it was all his fault. It had been him who had talked to the snake, and him who had made the glass vanish. He didn't know how he'd done it, but he had. Harry didn't know how much time had passed since he first heard his sister's strangled cries and pleas, but it seemed like forever. Finally, the cupboard door was unlocked and her limp body was thrown inside. Harry caught her, and she reeked of alcohol and vomit. They had forced her to drink and then beat her. He heard the Dursleys go upstairs, and he helped his sister to the washroom. She stumbled and she was crying and she didn't know what had happened.

Harry sat her by the toilet and let her empty the rest of her stomach. This had happened a couple of times before, and it usually did when something strange happened to one of them. When Harry had ended up on the school roof, for instance, or when Lucille's hair had grown back to its usual waist length after a particularly bad haircut from Aunt Petunia.

When Lucille stopped throwing up and started dry heaving, Harry started the shower for her.

"Are you okay to shower by yourself, Lucy?" He asked her gently.

Lucille nodded and stood up slowly. Harry brought her one of his t-shirts to wear, which he knew would fall down to her knees. He waited outside the door while she showered, calling in to her every so often to make sure she was alright. After he heard the water turn off, he waited a few minutes and came in. She was wrapped in his t-shirt, and her soaking hair looked more brown than its usual red. She had bruises even worse than the night before, and was so thin… She had thrown up her whole stomach twice in the past two days, which wasn't saying much considering how little she got to eat. Harry put his arm around her to support her as he led her back to the cupboard. He sat her on the bed and brushed the knots out of her wet hair. She had taken off her favourite hooded sweatshirt before Uncle Vernon had gotten to her, so he wrapped that around her as well. He tucked them both into bed and held her tightly, trying to keep her warm. He could feel her sobbing in his arms. He knew she was scared that Uncle Vernon would come take her away again. He knew that she knew that he could do nothing to keep her safe if that happened. It was hard to reassure her that she was safe now, because they both knew she wasn't. All he could do was hug her closer.

"Shh… Lucy, everything's okay, I've got you. You're safe for now, it's all done. He's gone to bed…" Harry cooed to her.

Eventually, Lucille calmed down, and her strangled sobs became soft hiccups. Every time she inhaled, it was her Harry. She was wearing his t-shirt and his sweater, she was in his arms, wrapped in their thin blanket. Harry was her safe haven; he was her brother, the only real family she had, her best friend. She knew he was only a child, just as she was, but he was bigger than her. He could hurt her, if he wanted to, but she knew he never would. She trusted him, more than anyone else. Her eyelids were starting to feel heavy, and Harry's whispers and soft stroking of her hair let her fall into a deep sleep.

Harry felt her breathing slow and her face burrow closer to his chest. He wished so desperately that he could get them out of here. He wished he was older so he would be strong enough to defend his little sister, or better yet, that someone could come take them away, so that they could just be children in peace. Little did he know, as he rested his chin on top of his sleeping sister's head, that a tabby cat had been peering in the window that very day, and was reporting to the headmaster of Hogwarts as Harry brushed his Lucy's matted hair.

He heard a _pop_ from outside, and not a second later did the doorbell ring.

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	2. Chapter Two

**WARNINGS: Mentions of severe child abuse in this chapter. If you're sensitive to that, don't read, or skip this chapter.**

Lucille's eyes snapped open. The doorbell shouldn't be ringing at this hour, should it?

Harry tightened his arms around her. "Shh… Lucy. Nobody other than the Dursley's knows we're in here. Besides, burglars wouldn't ring the doorbell before breaking in. It's probably just some teenagers messing around."

The twins heard Uncle Vernon stomping down the stairs, muttering to himself. Lucy pushed her face harder into Harry's chest. If this made Uncle Vernon angry, he might come back to take that anger out on her. They heard shouting from the door, followed by a very kind sounding voice, followed by Uncle Vernon's call for, "PETUNIA!".

Harry listened as Aunt Petunia descended the stairs overhead. He was curious as to what was going on, but decided it best to stay in the cupboard. He would never leave his sister, especially not when she was like this. He ran his hand up and down her back as he listened, hard.

A gentle knock on the cupboard made Lucille jump so high that she nearly hit her head on the low ceiling.

"Mr. Potter, Miss Potter, my name is Professor Albus Dumbledore. I am the headmaster of Hogwarts, the school that your parents attended. If you could step outside your bedroom for a moment, I'd like to have a conversation with you."

This was the kind voice that Harry had heard out in the hallway. This man said that he knew their parents, that he taught at their old school. He could feel Lucille shaking violently beside him.

"Lucy, I'm going to go outsi- No, shh… Listen. I'm going to go outside, and I'm going to see what he wants. I'll be right there, I won't let anyone come in the cupboard, and you don't have to come out if you don't want to." Lucille nodded and Harry kissed her bruised forehead. He pulled the hood of her sweater up over her head, and wrapped the blanket tighter around her. He had no idea whether his sister was safe or not, but at least he could help make her feel that way.

Harry stepped outside the cupboard and stood right in front of the door. He saw a man with a long, white beard, robes of deep purple, and a crooked nose.

Dumbledore's blue eyes twinkled at him when he asked, "Where is your sister, Harry? Forgive me for being rude but I was expecting the both of you."

"She's in the cupboard, uh, sir." Harry responded. The Dursleys were nowhere to be seen, and Harry wondered why they would let this strange man into their house, especially unattended. Did they know him? Were they afraid of him?

"Well," said Dumbledore, smiling brightly, "I would very much like to speak to the both of you. If you could persuade her to join us, it would be much appreciated. I'll leave you two alone." Dumbledore walked over to the living room opposite and sat down on the sofa. Harry felt like he didn't have much choice in the matter, so he reentered the cupboard.

"Lucille, it's okay. Please come out, he wants to talk to us. He seems very nice."

Lucille looked at him, and he could see the fear in her brown eyes. He could tell that she was still a little bit drunk, and his heart broke. "Please trust me, Lucy. You know I would never put you in danger."

Lucille knew he was right, but she was still nervous. As much as Harry trusted this man, she just couldn't. She trusted Harry though, trusted him with all her heart. She'd known him all her life and he had never done anything to hurt her. Harry had always tried to give her the best, even in their situation, she was always put first.

If he said it was okay, she trusted him.

She stumbled out of bed and Harry helped her walk toward the Headmaster. Dumbledore smiled brightly when he saw them.

"I hope you don't mind me saying this, but it's like looking at Lily and James one more time." He said jovially.

Lucille took a step behind her brother. As she did she stumbled and wavered. Harry grabbed her waist and held her upright. Dumbledore looked concerned.

"Why don't you two take a seat, we have much to discuss." Dumbledore said, cheerfully. Harry helped Lucy over to the sofa opposite Dumbledore.

"First things first," Dumbledore said, "I would like to offer both of you a spot at my school." He handed them both envelopes complete with wax seals.

The letters screwed up in Lucille's brain. She could feel the alcohol bearing down on her. She didn't know if she was intoxicated or if she had actually read the words, "witchcraft" and "wizardry" on the envelope, or if she were just dreaming.

"Excuse me, sir…" Harry's voice sounded confused, he had opened his letter and his eyes were scanning the paper intently, "This letter says that we're wizards. I don't quite understand."

"Well, yes and no," replied Dumbledore, calmly, "You, Harry, are a wizard. Lucille here is a witch. As were your parents. These letters were going to be mailed out to you within the week, but I'm afraid one of my colleagues informed me that living conditions were no longer suitable here. As such, you will come to school with me early, should you choose to accept your offers, of course."

"Whatsa wizard?" Lucille asked. She hoped Dumbledore wouldn't be able to tell she was slurring. She knew Harry noticed, though, and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"A wizard, or a witch, is a person who can preform spells and do magic. If you wish for an example…"

Dumbledore pulled a wand out of his pocket and levitated the couch that Harry and Lucille were sitting on. Their feet dangled in the air as Dumbledore lowered them back down, gently to the ground.

"We can do that?" Lucy asked, slurring just slightly.

"With a little training, yes, you will be able to do that." Dumbledore winked.

Harry was so excited that he could barely contain it, "Sir, can we use magic to defend ourselves?"

"Yes," said Dumbledore, "Magic can be used in self defence if it is needed."

Harry could barely believe it. He could finally protect his sister from his uncle, finally ensure her safety. This would be the last time she would be slurring her words, the last time food would be forced out of her stomach…

"We're in." said Harry, beaming.

"Hold on," said Dumbledore, "Does Miss Potter agree?"

Lucy did not know where she was going, but wherever it was, at least she wouldn't be beaten. And if Harry was there, she knew she would be happy.

"Okay." she whispered.

Dumbledore used something called the Floo Network to get them from Number 4 Privet Drive to his office at Hogwarts. It made Lucille a little dizzy, but she didn't have anything left in her stomach to throw up.

"It seems to me," said Dumbledore, "That you are feeling under the whether, is that right, Miss Potter?"

Harry looked at his sister. He knew Dumbledore was just being kind, ignoring the blatantly obvious bruises that covered her pretty face, not to mention her slurring and constant stumbling about. Nonetheless, Harry knew she needed bed.

"A little bit." Lucille replied.

"If it's alright with you," asked Dumbledore politely, "I will call our nurse, Madame Pomfrey up to escort you to the hospital wing. She'll give you a couple potions to make you feel better and let you sleep. It always makes me feel better after a long day. Anyway, I'd like a word with Mr. Potter alone."

Harry could tell that Lucy didn't want to leave without him. Dumbledore seemed to pick up on this.

"Harry will be right down with you. He may spend the night in the hospital wing too, until other arrangements are made." Dumbledore smiled kindly, and a second later there was a knock at the door, "That must me Madame Pomfrey now. I promise she'll take excellent care of you."

Lucille hadn't even realized he had called her yet. She looked at Harry, who took her hand and squeezed. He helped her walk to the door where Madame Pomfrey was waiting. The woman had kind eyes and Harry could tell his sister was in good hands. Lucy still look scared, but Harry reassured her he'd be with her soon.

He closed the door behind him and took a look around Dumbledore's office. There were portraits of many men and women snoozing in their frames. The pictures were moving, and making noise, which amazed Harry to no end. There were tiny silver instruments lined up on Dumbledore's desk, and many were whirring and buzzing. Dumbledore instructed Harry to take a seat on the opposite side of the desk, and he did, looking Dumbledore in the eyes.

"Now, Harry. I wanted to ask you about how your sister was treated back at your Aunt and Uncle's. I understand that they were not very kind to her?"

Harry took a deep breath. He knew he could trust Dumbledore. He knew that if he told the whole truth, maybe he would get his sister out of that place for good.

He stared with how Dudley had pulled her hair when they were around four years old, and how she had started to cry. He told Dumbledore how he saw this and punched Dudley square in the jaw with his tiny, little fist. How Vernon had seen what had happened, and told Dudley to pull Lucille's hair as hard as he wanted. How Vernon had taken Harry on his lap and made him watch. He told Dumbledore how it gradually got worse, how Vernon started kicking Lucy out of his way, while Petunia turned a blind eye. And then he started beating her whenever Harry would get in trouble, sometimes forcing alcohol down her throat. He told Dumbledore how they forced Harry to listen to the only person in the world he cared about screaming in pain for hours on end.

He ended with the threats that Vernon had made to her about what he's going to do after she hits puberty. The memory of her shaking so violently in his arms, describing to him what their uncle had whispered in her ear made him physically sick. He thought of how long it took him to calm her down that night, of what just the threat of it did to her. He couldn't imagine what she would be like if it actually happened. He wanted to throw up.

Dumbledore was very still, as though giving Harry permission to ask the question he'd been wanting to ask all night.

"Do we have to go back there, Professor?"

"Your sister," Dumbledore answered him, "does not. However, you, Harry, must. For reasons I cannot explain to you right now, you must return to the Dursleys. I would like to inform you though, that while your sister would be safe from your uncle should she be placed in an alternate home, she would be susceptible to a whole other danger. The only two places that are totally safe from this second danger is your aunt and uncle's house, and here, at Hogwarts. She cannot stay at school over summer breaks, because it is closed throughout the holiday. I can make alternate arrangements, however I cannot tell you she is not better off at your Aunt and Uncle's."

"Can't I use magic to protect her from my uncle, sir?" Harry whispered. He didn't like the thought of being separated from Lucille, and he also didn't like that she could be in danger if she were to be away from him.

"I am afraid you cannot, Harry. Magical Law sates that underage wizards cannot preform magic outside of school, much less against muggles -which is what we wizards call non-magic people- anyway, it is up to you and Miss Potter as to what you would like to do come next summer. You have all year to think about it. I am sure you'll make the best decision, Harry, you seem to care for her very much."

With that, Dumbledore bid Harry good night and called Madame Pomfrey to escort him to the hospital wing.

When Harry arrived, he found Lucille fast asleep on the bed second to closest to the door. He realized that the empty closest bed must be for him. She never liked sleeping right beside the door, it scared her that someone would come in. Even at Hogwarts, she was still afraid of their uncle.

Harry noticed that his sister's skin was clear, and that Madame Pomfrey had healed her bruises and welts with magic. She looked peaceful as she slept, almost as though her innocence hadn't been beaten out of her.

Madame Pomfrey offered Harry a sleeping potion, but he denied as he climbed into his bed. After lying there fore about an hour, he regretted this decision. He was almost eleven years old, yet he had never slept apart from his sister. There was a comfort in feeling her there, in knowing that she was safe right beside him. He slid out of bed and walked over to hers. She was cuddling an extra pillow in her sleep, her face nuzzled into it. Harry gently removed the pillow and slid in beside her, scooping her up close. He wasn't sure what was going to threaten her in the future, but he knew he had to put his foot down.

He was not going to let her get hurt again.

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	3. Chapter Three

The next few weeks at Hogwarts were the best of Harry and Lucille's young lives. Beds were set up for them in an empty classroom, so they no longer needed to spend their nights in the hospital wing.

Lucy started to look healthier than Harry had ever seen her before. The twins had meals with Dumbledore, and were allowed to have as much of whatever they wanted as they liked. Within a few days at Hogwarts, she was no longer bony, but she was still very small. Even with Harry's effort to scrape extra food onto her plate at the Dursley's whenever he could, she still suffered from malnutrition. Madame Pomfrey told Harry, with a sad expression, that she would always be small for her age, because she had missed vital growth spurts throughout childhood.

Still, Harry was glad to see her improving. She seemed happier, less anxious, but she nevertheless had a long way to go. She was still fearful of anything bigger than her that moved. So, naturally, when Rubeus Hagrid walked into their lives for the first time, she grabbed Harry's arm in terror.

But Hagrid proved to be the most friendly person she had ever met, despite his giant demeanour. On the day after their birthday, he invited the twins over for tea in his little hut on the grounds. So at two o'clock that afternoon, Harry and Lucille knocked on Hagrid's door.

" 'Arry! Lucy! Come on in, just makin' a pot o' tea" Hagrid called from inside.

Lucy opened the door and the twins stepped inside. The hut was small, but the furniture was large, big enough to accompany a half-giant like Hagrid. The twins sat down in an armchair that was provided a comfortable amount of space for them both. Hagrid handed them each a large mug of tea, and sat down in the arm chair across from them.

"So, how are yeh enjoin' Hogwarts so far?" Hagrid asked them.

"It's excellent!" beamed Harry. It had been amazing for the twins to have free roam of the castle, to explore and figure out where everything was before their classes started. Madame Malkin had come to the school specially to have their robes fitted, and Dumbledore took the liberty of having all of their books and supplies delivered to them… They just needed one more thing…

"Well, I've got a surprise for you lot…" Hagrid seemed excited, "Dumbledore's set up the Floo to take us to Diagon Alley to get yer wands. We'll be back before the sorting ceremony tonight, so yeh can be sorted with yer classmates. We'll finish our tea and then be off."

The group finished their tea and headed up toward the castle. They reached Dumbledore's office and Hagrid muttered the password.

"Uh.. Acid Pops" he mumbled, and the gargoyles leapt aside and allowed entrance to the spiral staircase inside. They ascended the stairs and Harry knocked on the door.

"Professor Dumbledore, it's Harry and Lucille Potter, and Hagrid… We're here to use the Floo network." Harry called through the door.

"Ah, yes, come in!" came Dumbledore's voice. Harry opened the door. "I understand you're going to go get your wands, yes, very exciting. The fireplace is to your left, you should be able to Floo right into the Leaky Cauldron."

Hagrid went through the green flames first, then Harry, then Lucille. They landed in a little pub.

Harry removed his glasses to clean them, and out of nowhere came a gasp.

"It's Harry Potter! It's the Boy Who Lived!"

"He's back! I can't believe he's back!"

"Thank you Mr. Potter. Thank you."

Dozens of people came up to start shaking Harry's hand. Despite the month that they had just been through, it was the most bizarre thing that the twins had encountered.

Finally, Hagrid called out to the crowd, in his big, booming voice, "Alright, enough is enough, we got business to attend to!"

They exited The Leaky Cauldron to a alley way that looked as though it was a dead end. The twins were very confused.

"Hagrid," Harry started, "Who were all of those people back there? How did they know my name?"

"I don't think I'm the right person to tell you that, 'Arry." Hagrid looked around, nervously,and saw the twin's bewildered faces "Ah, well… You've got to understand this, both of yeh: not all wizards are good. 'Bout ten years ago, there was one that went as bad as you could go and his name was…"

Hagrid sputtered and looked around as he tried to say the name, as though he feared it would cause pain to anyone who just so happened to be walking by.

"His name was… Voldemort." Hagrid continued, "Now, don't yeh go repeating that name, either of you. Anyway, Voldemort began collecting followers, he brought them over ter the dark 've got ter understand, that in many situations it was either yeh joined him, or yeh died. Nobody lived once he decided ter kill him."

"But what does this have to do with Harry?" Lucille asked Hagrid, worried for her brother. She didn't like where this was going.

"Your parents fought against him, they did the best they could, but they died at his hands." Hargrid wiped away a tear that had started crawling toward his beard. "But something else happened that night. He tried ter kill you too, 'Arry. But the curse rebounded. Yer the only one to have survived the killing curse. That ain't no ordinary cut on yer forehead, that's the mark of a curse, and an evil curse at that."

"Voldemort tried to kill… me?" Harry whispered, "Where was Lucy in all of this?"

"I found her in the crib, hidin' behind yeh, scared out of her wits. I went and brought yeh to yer aunt and uncle, under Dumbledore's orders, of course." said Hagrid, proudly, "But that's why yer famous, Harry. Yer the Boy Who Lived."

"But what happened to Voldemort? And why did he want to kill Harry?" Lucille was extremely anxious. Why hadn't Voldemort tried to kill her as well, if he had just wanted to finish their family off? Why Harry?

"Some say he died," Hagrid continued, seriously, "codswallop in my opinion. I reckon he's still out there, too weak to carry on…"

"So you think he'll be back?" asked Harry.

"I sure hope not," Hagrid pondered, "but if he does, we best be ready."

Hagrid's story scared the twins, particularly Lucille. It seemed that everywhere she went, there were bad people who had a problem with her and her brother, and she just didn't know why. What had they ever done?

These thoughts occupied her mind as they walked along Diagon Alley. The twins were surprised as the bricks that made up the dead end of the alleyway moved and changed into an arch that led them to the busy street on the other side. They walked to the end of the street, to a tall crooked building.

"This is Gringotts, the wizard bank," Hagrid informed the twins, "ain't no safer place… 'cept perhaps Hogwarts."

When they entered Gringotts, Lucille wondered if she would fit in as a goblin. She was almost small enough, however, she was put off by their rude demeanour. They snarled and grumbled whenever they spoke to them, she couldn't tell whether she was doing anything to offend them.

Vault 687 belonged to the Potter family, and resided pretty deep into the cellars of Gringotts. When the door swung open, the twins let out simultaneous gasps.

"That's all ours?" Harry asked Hagrid in disbelief. The twins were standing in front of a mountain of gold that stood taller than both of them put together.

"You don't think yer parents would leave yeh with nothin' now?" Hagrid winked at them. Lucy just stood there in shock. She and her brother had enough money here to never have to worry, and then some. The twins gathered what they needed in order to buy wands, and got back into the cart.

The cart defended even deeper into the depths of Gringotts. They stopped at Vault 713, a high security vault. When the door opened, Lucy expected there to be piles of gold and treasures, but instead, Hagrid reached in an pulled out a very small, scruffy looking package.

"What's that, Hagrid?" she asked, curious.

"This is top secret Hogwarts business. Don't go repeatin' that yeh seen this." Hagrid's voice sounded extremely serious. Lucille wondered how she could tell people about this package when she didn't even know what it contained, but she nodded her head anyway.

Ollivander's was their final stop. Hagrid dropped them off, telling them he had one more thing to do, and the twins walked into the little shop together.

The shop was tiny, but it was crammed floor to ceiling with countless boxes of wands. It seemed to be empty, and just as Lucy was about to ring the little bell on the front counter, Mr. Ollivander appeared from behind a shelf of wands. This surprised Harry, and he jumped instinctively in front of his sister.

"Quite the brave one, aren't you Mr. Potter," smiled Mr. Ollivander, "don't you worry, I won't hurt your sister."

Harry, who hadn't even realized his actions, looked behind him at Lucy. She was giggling softly at him.

"Oh, shut up," he muttered. He'd noticed lately that as his sister became less anxiety ridden, the more nervous he got. He didn't want her to be too careful. He had promised himself that she would never get hurt again, if he could help it. Now that she was getting less careful, he would just have to make up for it.

"So, let's get started, shall we?" Mr. Ollivander started measuring them all over, from shoulder to fingertips, elbow to wrist, shoulder to feet, and between their eyes. Harry watched Ollivander carefully as he measured his sister.

Next, Ollivander went to the back of the shop and collected a pile of wands, all different sizes and colours. He had the twins wave countless different wands. Some did nothing as they were waved, others caused extreme damage to the shop, but Ollivander didn't seem to mind when this happened, he would just simply state, "Curious, very curious."

Lucille was the first to find her wand. The particular one that Ollivander handed her -rowan and unicorn hair, 11 inches, surprisingly swishy- felt warm in her hand. She waved it and a shower of gold sparks flew out of the tip and up in the air, showering her and Harry.

"That's a pure heart you've got there, Miss Potter. It is common fact that no Dark witch or wizard has ever owned a rowan wand. You're core as well -my, my- unicorn hairs are the toughest to turn to the Dark Arts. You've got a good head on your shoulders, Miss Potter." Olivander seemed amazed, but this was nothing compared to when Harry made red sparks fly out the end of the 206th wand that he tried -holly and phoenix feather, 11 inches, nice and supple.

Mr. Ollivander explained that Harry's wand, and another wand, both got their phoenix feathers from the same bird. He explained that while holly wands are traditionally considered extremely protective, it is very difficult to be paired with phoenix feather, because the wood's vitality conflicts strangely with the phoenix's detachment. He explained that the other feather that the phoenix gave, was inside a wand made of yew, and that that wand, belonged to Voldemort.

Lucy's brain flashed back to when Hagrid told them that Harry's scar was the mark of a curse. She looked at the wand in her brother's hand, and then up at his face. He was looking up at Ollivander with a very serious expression on his face.

"The wand chooses the wizard, Mr. Potter. It's not always clear why, but let's say that we can expect great things from you. After all, he who must not be named did great things. Terrible, yes, but great."

At that instant, they heard a tapping noise on the front window of the shop. Hagrid was holding a cage with a large, snowy owl inside, smiling broadly.

"'Arry, Lucy, happy belated birthday!"

The twins and Hagrid made their way back to the Leaky Cauldron and flooed back into Dumbledore's office. They bid Hagrid farewell, thanked him once more for their new feathered friend, and headed back to their makeshift bedroom.

The room had two twin four-poster beds crammed right up against a dusty blackboard at the front wall. Desks and chairs were pushed up against the remaining walls. Harry and Lucille had been living out of their trunks for the past couple of weeks. By now, however, most of their things had been moved out. They would be sleeping with their houses tonight.

Harry placed the birdcage up on the teacher's desk that was pushed right in between the two beds. The twins stared at the white bird, and she hooted happily.

"What shall we name her?" Lucille asked, still starring dreamily at the owl. She felt as though she had never seen anything more beautiful in her life.

Harry looked around the room, thinking that maybe something in the room would spark his imagination. Then he saw the stack of schoolbooks sitting near the end of his sister's bed.

"Why don't we each flip through one of these books and take a name from there?" He suggested to her

They began to look through the books, and it didn't take very long before Harry stumbled upon the name in A History of Magic. Hedwig hooted happily at Harry's mention of the name, and the twins instantly knew it was the one.

The twins changed into their black robes early and decided to go for a walk through the grounds before the sorting ceremony begun. They were both anxious and needed some time to breathe.

Lucille was very quiet as she strode alongside her brother. She wondered what house she would be sorted into, or where her brother would be. She didn't know if she could bear being separated from him; she had only just gotten used to sleeping alone. Some nights, she would have nightmares involving Vernon, sometimes even Dudley, and would crawl in beside Harry. She knew she couldn't do that anymore, but the knowledge he was there would be at least a little reassuring.

But Lucille knew she was being crazy. Of course she and Harry would be in the same house, they were twins after all; they shared so many things already. They had the same birthday, the same little freckle behind their left knees, the same sense of humour. But most of all, they had shared the same experiences. They couldn't, wouldn't be separated.

This was the thought that kept her calm as she approached the stool later that night. She was calm as the hat slid over her eyes, blocking her view of the Gryffindor table where Harry had just sat down. She breathed deeply as the hat whispered things like, "exceptionally brave" and "honourable convictions". She was calm as the hat seemed to be making it's final decision, knowing Harry would be clapping her on the back in just a few seconds time. She was anything but nervous, anything but anxious.

But when the hat bellowed, "HUFFLEPUFF!", her now perturbed heart dropped to the pit of her butterfly-filled stomach.

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